The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 306 Becoming King
border town.

Zhao Muyun was reading a letter written to him by General Lai Suzhi of Yuyang City.

General Lai was furious that the imperial court had granted Youzhou as a fiefdom to a troublemaking leader of displaced people and even bestowed upon him the title of a king of a different surname.

Youzhou was his territory.

To place a king of a different surname on his territory?

That means they're coming to steal his food!
Who could sit still after hearing such news?
In his letter, General Lai asked General Zhao a question.

Even a mere eunuch has become a regent who issues orders.

A few illiterate peasant leaders who had killed countless soldiers also became kings of different surnames.

What about those soldiers who haven't seen their pay for over a decade and are still guarding the border?
Every word exudes a murderous aura.

Zhao Muyun could tell that this hot-tempered General Lai was probably up to no good.

as predicted.

Three days later, a secret report arrived from Youzhou, delivered by express courier.

It is said that the newly appointed Prince of Pingnan, along with his confidants, had not even set foot in Youzhou and had no time to flaunt his status as a prince of a different surname when he was wiped out by General Lai's army of 10,000.

General Lai not only killed more than 5,000 of the Prince of Pingnan's personal guards in one go, but also took away all the rewards that the court had given to the Prince of Pingnan.

It is said that the head of the Prince of Pingnan is still hanging on the city gate of Youzhou.

Such an undisguised act of defying the heavens was a resounding slap in the face to the regent and empress dowager of the Shang capital.

What should the imperial court do?
Finally, a self-righteous civil official suggested that the court summon General Lai to Shangdu to defend himself.

They said they wanted to hear an explanation from General Lai.

Of course, there were also clear regulations for General Lai's entry into Shangdu: the number of his entourage could not exceed one hundred!

Under such conditions, only a fool would go.

General Lai didn't even show his face; he simply ordered his subordinates to kill the arrogant eunuch who was delivering the imperial edict.

Based on.

This means that they have completely broken ties with the Shang capital's court.

After Shangdu killed the imperial relatives and a group of disobedient civil and military officials, almost all that remained in the court were obedient citizens.

When such treasonous news reached the Regent, his face darkened to the point of being dripping with gloom.

At this moment, many civil officials were jumping up and down and shouting during the court assembly:

"Broadly defying the imperial decree and even beheading the messenger eunuch, General Lai is plotting a rebellion! Who gave him the audacity? I propose that such a traitorous official should have his entire family executed to serve as a warning to others."

"I second that opinion! Otherwise, what if the generals of other important border towns follow suit? General Lai is not a refugee. He controls most of the fields in the Youzhou Plain, and he has grain, firearms, and troops. Every year, he uses the excuse of Tatar harassment to keep asking the court for military pay and official positions! He may have long harbored the intention to rebel."

"I second that! The military farms in the nine border towns are meant to support the army! We can't let these bandits use the imperial military farms to support their private armies; they are nothing but parasites on the nation!"

"."

The sentiment is exciting.

With the backing of powerful figures in the martial arts world, the regent and his entourage tasted the sweetness of assassination.

At this time, their momentum was at its peak.

Instigated by such treacherous officials, he naturally couldn't tolerate any dissent.

General Lai never expected that the imperial court would once again push his limits.

The assassins from the Soul-Snatching Sect dared to enter Yuyang City to assassinate him.

But this is the border region.

Military camps have many checkpoints; they're not easy to get through!
The repeated appearances of the assassins thoroughly enraged Lai Suzhi.

He sent people to directly target all the branches of the Outer Eight Gates within Youzhou.

Later, under the threat of suicide from his subordinates, he took the opportunity to declare: He, Lai Suzhi, has declared himself king in Youzhou! Don't you rabble in the court just appoint whoever makes the biggest fuss as a king of a different surname?

Then I'll show you what a fight I can make!

They'll give you a big bet right away.

manor?

Beneath the sword's edge lies all fiefdom!

All the autumn taxes from this year's fiefdom must be left to me.

The remnants of the Outer Eight Gates fled Youzhou in a panic.

The entire imperial court was stunned by this unexpected turn of events!

In the more than two hundred years since the founding of the nation, there has never been a precedent of a border general holding a large army declaring himself king.

This will leave a lasting stain on my reputation!
But now the other party doesn't care about any of that anymore.

In this way, as long as the imperial court dares to reluctantly acknowledge a King of Youzhou, countless border kings may appear tomorrow.

How to do?
What to do?

border town.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the camp was also very excited.

This person said:
"My lord, it's time we raised the banner of the King of the Northwest. We can't afford to fall too far behind the King of Youzhou, can we?"

That person said:
"We wholeheartedly agree! Didn't General Xiong send an urgent message yesterday that the 250,000 elite troops of the Kashgar Khanate have been wiped out? Now we won't have to worry about being cut off from supplies by the interior!"

Some people even slammed their fists on the table, making a loud thud.
“Ang really sees through those eunuchs in the court. If anyone gives them a little leeway, they’ll dare to open a dye shop! If General Lai hadn’t killed that leader of the refugees, who knows what Youzhou would have become in the future.”

"Yes, my lord! You've submitted your petitions for merit so many times, but the court hasn't responded at all. If this continues, those brothers who are fighting tooth and nail against the barbarians will become disheartened!"

Zhao Muyun nodded slowly:
"General Xiong also reported some good news: General Gan and his men discovered an open-pit coal mine in Huozhou, and it is said that the amount of ore inside can be mined for at least a hundred years."

"buzz"

This time, everyone completely lost their composure.

"With coal, the Armory will no longer have to worry about iron smelting!"

"No more worries about heating the kang (heated brick bed) in winter!"

"Don't the people of the Western Regions love porcelain the most? Let them fire it, let those porcelain workshops fire as much as they want, and then sell it all to the Western Regions at high prices."

"."

Coal is a really good thing.

This made those generals who were hesitant about becoming king in the present moment finally stop hesitating.

Following the "King of Youzhou".

In the border town, the royal banner of the "King of the Northwest" flies high.

At the same time, Pianguan, Yulinwei, Jinzhouguan, Hepingguan, and the Seven Guards of Guanzhong all replaced the dragon flags on their city walls with the royal flags of the "King of the Northwest."
Gan Minglan and the others, who were still on their way, were unaware of all this.

It took half a month.

Just as the team members were delighted that the golden eagle would return every few days to feed General Gan and was almost tamed by him, the team members who went up the snow mountain to dig for treasure also brought back good news.

They have truly found the snow lotus, the most precious treasure atop the snow-capped mountain.

In folk legends, the snow lotus is hailed as the king of immortal herbs, and its medicinal value and symbolic significance are extraordinary.

Furthermore, due to its extremely special growing environment, it typically grows in extremely thin air and cold mountain winds, which makes its growing conditions extremely harsh and harvesting it involves great risks.

Therefore, they are very rare on the market.

It once became a tribute from various countries in the Western Regions to the Celestial Empire.

Early autumn is the perfect time for snow lotus flowers to bloom.
(End of this chapter)